Eating and Drinking 30 Minute Rule

[ShianRaineDrop 14]

Hey everyone! I hope this finds you all doing well no matter what phase you are in of your new lifestyle!

I am a newbie so thought what better place to reach out with my questions!

This one has to do with the 30 minute rule with eating and drinking. Prior to surgery, I never drank during the time I was eating. I've been like that my whole life. I didn't drink until after I ate. However, now that we are supposed to wait 30 minutes before, and 30 minutes after, I'm struggling. I do it but dang I get so thirsty after eating and I definitely don't want to chug because I do not want that pain that I have experienced when taking too big of a sip absent mindedly.

That all being said, I promise I have an actual question. Lol!

When I eat, I eat slowly. And I mean slowly. It has taken me up to 45 minutes to finish a meal. For example, I am eating one scrambled egg (from my beautiful backyard fluffy butts) with about 2 oz of Grits with about a tablespoon of skim mozzarella and a teaspoon of parmesan and I started 20 minutes ago. I'm not even halfway through. So.... How do I know when it's okay to drink some fluids if it takes me so long to eat? Surely I don't need to wait 30 minutes before an after on the meals that take me longer to eat than the time I'm supposed to wait before and after, right?

Thank you for any and all advice and experience you can share! 🤗

[catwoman7 10,933]

yep - 30 minutes after you stop eating. Doesn't matter how long it takes you to eat.

I was told I could give up the 30-minutes before rule after I was a few months out - but I was also told the 30-minutes after rule was for life.

you do get used to it after awhile.

[SleeverSk 621]

Ok so my team had a 20,20,20 rule, chew your food 20 times, wait 20 seconds between each bite and anything you haven’t eaten after 20 mins doesn't get eaten. How far out from surgery are you? Drinking gets easier as you go along. It's easier to drink before food than after so if you are finding yourself being thirsty try having a drink 10 minutes before food but not a big drink but just enough so you aren't thirsty.and a tiny sip to wet your mouth after won't hurt either.

[ShoppGirl 3,428]

Idk if I should admit this but I have always drank up until I ate. At first it was on accident most times but they when it didn’t cause me any issues I just stopped trying to remember. I never really understood the rule since I have also been told that liquid goes right through. I am not saying that this is the best idea because I don’t understand the reasoning behind the rule, but…. Now afterwards I have forgot and drank and it still doesn’t hurt but I can feel that it’s heavy feeling so I assumed that’s bad.

[Arabesque 6,573]

Doesn’t matter how long it takes to eat you have to wait or, as you as know, you can experience discomfort.

The other reason we wait before is so our tummy is fully empty before we start to eat. And we wait after so the Fluid doesn’t wash what we’ve eaten more quickly through our digestive system.

You often want something more when you can’t have it which could be why you are finding this hard. Someone has taken away your free choice about when & how much you drink. It can be the same with food for some people: they can’t eat chocolate so all they want is chocolate.

The good news is you won’t have to do this for ever. You’ll be able to wait less time, be able to take larger sips, etc. When, how long & how much will be up to you & what you are able to do.

[Recidivist 1,141]

My surgeon and nutritionist said that I could drink right up until eating, which I have done consistently for the three years since surgery. It didn't seem to affect my weight loss at all.

They also said that no drinking for thirty minutes after eating is for life, and I have followed that religiously. And yes, I do get extremely thirsty at times. It's a small price to pay to be at a normal weight.

[Tomo 1,150]

I, too, was told I could drink up till I eat. The minute I finish my last bite, is when the 30 minute rule kicks in. There are times I set a 30 minute timer if I feel particularly thirsty. It always seems to go fast though. It's a small sacrifice, and I have been practicing this for many years. I read a book on successful wls patients, and this particular rule was stressed for long time success. The longer the better too, as long as you can get 64 ounces in a day, of course.

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[The Greater Fool 1,971]

Like others, my rules were only 30 minutes after but even then it was variable based on patient needs. I take meds that cause dry mouth, so eating with saliva can be problematic so I was allowed sips when necessary, along with sips during the 30 minutes.

There is so much unfounded 'common sense' when it comes drinking. The whole 64oz thing is something that is a myth from about 100 years ago, where it was made up. Interestingly, even then it included the Fluid within food which accounted for most of the 64ozs. This idea has been debunked time and again but it persists. Studies indicate drinking when you are thirsty is plenty healthy enough. But... if your surgeon or nutritionist say 64oz then I'm all about following our medical teams' rules. It's not like it will hurt you... probably.

After 18 years I don't particularly pay much attention to when I drink, it's all habit at this point. I still sip during meals when necessary. I was never one to drink much during meals.

Good luck,

Tek